The World of VRMMORPGs
by PhoenixFire333
Summary: Hiya! Here comes another new story :P I think this one may be my best one yet but who knows? Maybe I'll improve and write even better ones from now on :O I hope so... Anyways, this story circulates around cliffhangers and suspense. It'll be similar to Sword Art Online and there will be bits and pieces of other MMORPGs but still unique in its own way. So as always, ENJOY!
1. Main Character Introductions

_**Phoenix**_: Hullo minna-san~ I was rewatching Sword Art Online (just the first few episodes where it was the most awesome part, in my opinion) and I happen to think about the world of VRMMORPGs. Of course, most people who watched this probably would but like the crazily weird person I am, I started to daydream about it so much… that I started to have dreams about VRMMORPGs! Then WHAM! I got this incredibly good idea about creating a similar story about a VRMMORPG that I made up. And so this story came to existence. Call it plagiarism if you want but I'm at least going to credit the it's not completely the same… The idea is just inspired by it… Anyways, ENJOY AS ALWAYS~

P.S. Oh, and this page is for introducing the main characters of this story. In the parentheses is the character's in-game name(s), so if you ever get confused as to who is who, visit this page and you'll know who's who.

NOTE: This story is a mixture of different MMORPGs. The setting and game system will be mostly based off of SAO but other systems like weapons and characters will be borrowed from different MMORPGs. The game name is made up by me however so credit goes to me~ :P The setting takes place in Japan but the school system used is America's school system (hence the age and school grade matches).

* * *

**? (_Michiyo)_**

The rumored strongest beta tester in the VRMMORPG, Aero. Nicknamed, The Flame of Phoenix. Real identity is unknown. Gender is also unknown since Michiyo is a unisex name. Played as a female character in the game. Known to be a solo player that uses a one-sword style technique. Occasionally joins parties or help guilds with requests. Never died once during the entire beta test. Disappeared after the beta test. Hmm… I wonder what happened to the Michiyo in real life?

* * *

**_Yoshihara Kaori (Mizuki)_**

A 14-year-old high schooler with a mixed personality. Usually energetic and loves to hang out with her friends. But when she holds a grudge about something, she can easily not talk to that person for months. Playful and a little childish at times, she seems unreliable. But when it comes to competition and games… someone always has to be there to keep an eye on her.

**Loves**: Pranks, Interfering in love affairs, Food, Competition, Stars

**Hates**: Bullies, Show-offs, Jerks, Homework, Chores

* * *

**_Shizuma Natsume (Shinto)_**

A 14-year-old high schooler with a cool and friendly personality. Goes to the same school as our main character, same class too. Super smart and has many talents. Athletic and out-going with just the perfect look to suit any girl. He's even good at housework and is friends with almost anyone he meets… maybe except one. And if you haven't noticed yet, extremely popular and is number one on the school's top 10 Most-Wanted-to-Be-My-Boyfriend list.

**Loves**: Teasing a certain somebody, Sports, Sunset and sunrise

**Hates**: Boys who don't treat girls nicely, other than that, nothing

* * *

**_Satou Hotori (Temayi)_**

A 14-year-old high schooler who acts like a typical anime girl. Kaori's best friend since childhood and drags her to shopping malls all over the place. Always looking for a boyfriend and complaining that there isn't a single boy in the world who is her type. Really, really bad at studying but has top grades in music class. Envy of the girls at school and a whole bunch of boys have a crush on her (she just doesn't know it and no one dares to confess).

**Loves**: Shopping, Weddings, Dreaming of her future boyfriend, Singing

**Hates**: Playboys, People who cheat on their lovers, Bugs

* * *

**_Fujita Arashi (Tsubasa)_**

A 14-year-old high schooler with a huge ego. The youngest of six sons of the richest family in town. Goes to a private school next to the school Kaori and Hotori go to. Natsume's childhood and best friend. Can often be found reading with his feet on his desk during lunch break. Also one of the most popular boys in his school because of his family name and fortune. Maybe has a crush on Hotori?

**Loves**: His deceased mother, Hotori's special homemade lunch boxes, Doing things his own way

**Hates**: Being tricked, His family (except his mother), Amusement parks

* * *

**_Yoshihara Megumi (Chiyo)_**

A 13-year-old middle schooler who is even more playful than her older sister, Kaori. Her favorite animal is bunny so her entire room is full of bunny things: bunny shaped pillows, stuffed animals, wallpaper, bed sheets, table, chairs. Even her clothes have bunnies on them. She refuses to do anything unless there is something bunny-related near her. Who feels bad for the older sister that has to take care of her? Cause I do…

**Loves**: Her older sister, Her room, Bunnies, More bunnies, Even more bunnies

**Hates**: Anything without bunnies

* * *

**CREDITS**

Inspired by the anime and manga series, Sword Art Online (SAO)

Dedicated to all those VRMMORPG lovers out there and my fellow writers and readers

Thank you so much to the original creator of SAO, Kawahara Reki (a.k.a. Kunori Fumio)

A bunch of handshakes and flowers to the staff of both the anime and manga

Hope you don't mind to the MMOPRGs that I borrow ideas from

I love you guys to mai awesome friends who helped me with the characters


	2. Prologue

CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE DEFEATED THE BOSS!

Panting hard, the girl stood up and sheathed her sword.

A small window appeared in front of her.

CONGRATULATIONS! YOU RECEIVED THE LAST ATTACK BONUS RARE DROP!

"King Nasod's Runic Core accessory?" The girl frowned in disappointment. "That's the sixth time already… How many times to I have to do this dungeon until I get the Vow of Ice and Snow sword? This is getting-" Another window appeared.

CONGRATULATIONS! YOU RECEIVED THE SOLO DUNGEON BONUS RARE DROP!

"Fate Shortbow…" The girl glared at the window before sighing. "Well, there goes my last strand of hope."

She started walking toward the stairs behind the fallen monster on the floor. They led to huge black double doors engraved with weird designs. Giving the door a light push, it slowly swung open to reveal bright sunlight and an open grassland. Stretching, the girl walked a few steps beyond the doors and laid down on the soft grass.

"Today is the last day of the beta test too… I was hoping that I'll finally be able to get that super ultra rare sword." The girl looked at the top right corner in her vision. "It's already 4:45. The beta test ends at 5. Guess I won't make it huh…"

"H-hello? Flame of Phoenix?"

The girl ignored the voice and closed her eyes. "I wonder who that could possibly be."

"But that's who you are, right?" The girl sighed and opened her eyes. Leaning above her was another girl around her age. "Solo player, one-handed sword user, Michiyo, a.k.a. The Flame of Phoenix. That is you, right?"

The girl called Michiyo gave a tiny frown and stood up, brushing off dirt from her skirt. "Hai, hai, that's me. I don't know where in the world you heard that nickname but I'm Michiyo."

"Eh?" The other girl gave her a confused look. "But that's what they call you on the news... You've been all over the news for the past three months! Being the rumored strongest player in Aero after all."

"But that doesn't mean that they can just give me a title and put me on the news without telling me... And who started the stupid rumor that I was the strongest player anyways?" Michiyo grumbled. "So, what is it?"

"Well, um, uh..." The girl started to fidget and look around nervously.

"Hmm?" Michiyo looked down at the girl's hands. She was clutching a piece of paper and a pen tightly. "What's wrong?"

The girl took a deep wavering breath and held out her items. "C-c-c-can I have your a-autograph?"

Michiyo stared at the paper and pen. "Okay..." She took the items and signed her name, leaving a tiny star with wings above the last letter.

"T-THANK YOU!" The girl was literally jumping up and down as she received her items back. "OMG OMG OMG OMG!" She half-ran, half-skipped away while hugging the paper to her chest.

Michiyo watched her leave until she teleported. Then she sighed again and rubbed her temples. "Why do so many people want my autograph? They can't magically pull it out of the game and into the real world. Our inventory is going to be wiped clean after the beta test ends anyways. And what's so great about having my signature? AHHHHH! I don't get these people!"

ANNOUNCEMENTS! ANNOUNCEMENTS! THE TIME IS 5 O'CLOCK! THE BETA TEST IS NOW ENDING! IF YOU ENJOYED PLAYING THIS BETA TEST, PLEASE BUY ONE OF THE TEN THOUSAND COPIES BEING SOLD NEXT WEEK! THANK YOU FOR PLAYING AERO! WE HOPE TO SEE YOU AGAIN!

"Well then, guess it's time to log out..." A smile broke out on Michiyo's face as she made a downward sliding motion with two fingers of her right hand. The menu windows popped up in front of her. Selecting 'Log Out', she looked around for the last time at the vanishing field.

"I'm definitely coming back." And with those last words, the world of Aero grew quiet once more.

But those words never faded as they rang silently throughout the world of VRMMORPGs.


	3. Chapter One

"Ka-o-riiiiiiiiiiiiii~"

"Huh?" The girl looked up from her lunch and earned herself a crushing bear hug from her best friend, Hotori. "Gaaaaaaah!"

"Ka-o-riiiiiiiii~~~ Guess what?~~~"

"Fert gret oft ef mm."

"Hey, hey, guess what?~" Hotori released the gasping girl from her clutches and started jumping around her desk. "Hurry up and answer~ Guess what?~~~"

Kaori rubbed her shoulders and neck while picking up the juice box she dropped. She gave Hotori a quick glare before taking a sip. "What?"

"I think I'm in love~~~"

A waterfall of spewed juice flew out of someone's mouth. "WHAT?!" Kaori grabbed the desk for her napkin. "YOU WHAT?!"

"I'm in love~ I finally got someone that I like~" Hotori pulled Kaori up to her feet and started dancing with her.

"Seriously?! Who?"

"Kyaaaaa~ You know that magazine? Games Weekly?" Hotori waved the magazine in front of her. "This one, this one. Look, look." She quickly flipped to a page and pointed at an article.

"Gak." Kaori stared at the title of the article and backed away.

Ignoring her, Hotori kept jumping around, unable to sit still. "Can you believe it? Can you believe it? He's just too cool~ Hey, did you even read the article?"

"Uh, yeah…"

"You liar," Hotori put her hands on her hips and leaned over the fidgeting girl. "You only glanced over it! Let me read it to you then! Sit right here and don't move a single centimeter!" She grabbed Kaori and sat her back down in her chair.

"H-hey!"

"Okay, listen nice and clearly my bestie~" She picked up her magazine and sat on the desk.

_Oh shoot… Have to escape…_ Kaori glanced around nervously and at the beaming girl in front of her. _But she's literally shining at me. And if I leave, she'll definitely notice. Oh why me? TT . TT_

Hotori cleared her throat and began to read. "Beta Test Results for the Most Popular Game in Store Next Week- Aero: Only a thousand copies were released earlier for the beta test of the new VRMMO that's sweeping through the market at lightning speed. Lucky players got a first hand experience on what this extremely popular game felt like. The creator- Oh this is irrelevant! Skip, skip! Aha! Here it is! Are you listening, Kaori?"

"Hai, hai…" _Although I wish I wasn't __TT . TT__ Cause I know what's coming next…_ A sigh full of reluctant acceptance followed.

"Rumored to be the strongest player in the beta test was Michiyo. A solo player that used a one-sword style, this player dominated the floors and made it higher than any other player had gone. The question of which gender this player was remains unknown as other beta testers were unsure between the female clothing and boyish behavior. Nicknamed, The Flame of Phoenix, those who saw this player in action mentioned in awe of the speed and technique used. 'Against boss monsters, we would see only a flash of orange and next thing we know, it's already down to its last two health bars!' An anonymous fan letter sent to us revealed even more flaming news, 'Sometimes the boss would be too hard to fight and we all lost hope. But then Michiyo gets up shakily when everyone is down and charges the boss with a body engulfed in fire!' Who could this mysterious player possibly be? Is he a boy or is she a girl? How old was this player that held so much potential? Most importantly, will Michiyo return to the world of Aero? Oye, oye, isn't this Michiyo character sooooo cool?"

Hotori was jumping around so much by now that Kaori was trying to keep her desk right side up. "Uh, huh, good for you. Now could you get off my desk before it collapses on my knees?"

"Kyaaaaa~ Michiyo-sama~~~" She obediently obeyed, but not before she first fake swooned. "Michiyo-sama~~~"

"S-sama?" _Oh great, now she's too far away for me to bring her back. Might as well as try?_ "Um… not to break your heart or anything… but how do you know that this Michiyo guy (girl?) is male? The article said that his (her?) gender is unknown right? Michiyo is also a unisex name…"

"So what? I say that Michiyo-sama is a boy. Problem?" Hotori glared at Kaori. Her face clearly said I-will-beat-the-crap-out-of-you-if-you-try-to-ruin-my-dream.

"Uhhhhh…" Kaori quickly took five steps back. _Well yeah, of course I do… Is what I want to say…_ "No…?"

"That sounded like an uncertain answer. How about you give me a strong decisive answer? That doesn't come out of a mouth that uses a wavering voice?"

_Aiiiii! She's starting to look like a creepy hag with that smile!_ "N-n- I mean, no." By now, Kaori had already backed up all the way to the wall.

"Good~ I knew you felt the same way as I do, Kaori~ We're best friends after all~ Right?" Another deadly smile.

"Yeah, of course, best friends, uh huh." And Hotori skips away happily with her magazine in which her beloved "Michiyo-sama" is in.

Kaori slowly slid down until she hit the floor "..."

"FANGIRLS ARE SCARY!"

* * *

BONG! BONG! BONG! BONG!

"Okay class, remember to do your homework this weekend! Just because tomorrow is the grand opening for the new VRMMO doesn't give you an excuse to not do your homework! You have three days, plenty of time to do them and still have time to play! Got that?"

"Yes, madame!" Sounds of chairs being pushed back and students running out the door filled the classroom.

Kaori quickly stuffed her electronic notebook into her backpack and ran out the door. _If I can just make it to-_

"Wait for me, Kaori!" Caught.

_Aw, shoot._ She sighed and slowed to a walk at the corner of the street.

"Why were you in such a hurry to get out of the classroom? Don't tell me you forgot about our promise to go shopping after school today?" Hotori had an annoyed look on her when she finally caught up to Kaori.

"No, it's just, I have to pick up my little sister from school today. And there's a lot of homework and-"

"Nonsense!" And like a high and mighty queen, Hotori waved the excuses away. "Just bring her along. And we only have two homework today, which aren't even very time-consuming."

"That's what you say," Kaori mumbled under her breath. "It always takes you an hour to finish one homework that you claim not to be time-consuming."

"Hmm? Did you say something?"

"Nope. Not a single thing. Let's go pick up my lil' sister, shall we?"

"No need to do such a selfless thing, big sis'~" A giggling girl peeked out from behind a tree.

"Megumi! How did you get here?" Kaori ran over to her little sister and ruffled her hair. "I thought you hated walking home without your bunny stuffed animal?"

"Oh, Usagi-chan? I don't. But today is a special day so I brought Mr. Usagi with me to school." Megumi zipped open her backpack to reveal a stuffed bunny with a big black hat and a crazy swirly mustache.

"Oh, I see…" Kaori stared at the stuffed bunny. _How did no one notice that huge hat? How did no one notice the huge bunny?_

"Oh, this is perfect!" Hotori clapped her hands together and gave them an angelic smile. "Now we can go straight to shopping! Let's go!" She grabbed both girls and sped toward the shops.

_QAQ One of these days, she's going to get a shopping ticket._


	4. Chapter Two

"Hotori…"

"Yes, Kaori?"

"I… think you bought too much."

"Really?" Hotori turned around to look at Kaori who was staggering under loads of shopping bags.

"YES!" A bag almost fell at Kaori's outburst but she quickly shifted it to the other hand.

Megumi, being the cute little sister looked up from Mr. Usagi at her big sister. "Do you need help?"

"Yes please."

"Well too bad cause Mr. Usagi says you can handle it."

_That sly little bunny! TT . TT _Kaori cried silently to herself in her head. "At least put that stuffed animal away. If you keep playing with it, you'll get hit by a car."

"No!" Megumi glared at her older sister. "If I have to put Mr. Usagi back in my backpack, I won't move from my spot! You'll have to drag me home!"

"I won't be able to drag you home if you end up dead on the sidewalk. I'll be dragging you to the hospital."

"No you won't! You know I hate hospitals! You'll never, ever, ever, ever, ever drag me there! Ever, ever, ever, ever!" With each ever, Megumi stomped her foot on the ground and shook her head.

Hotori stared at the bickering siblings. _Kaori… changed. She seems more mature… Did something happen in the past six months? Something that caused her to grow up? Maybe I should ask why she hasn't been hanging out with me as often as before?_ "Um, Kao-"

THUMP! Hotori flinched as Kaori crashed into someone and fell on the ground. Shopping bags flew all over the place.

"Owww…" Kaori rubbed her poor behind. "Sorry! I wasn't loo- Natsume?!" She stared wide-eyed at the boy rubbing his head in front of her. "What are you doing here?"

"Is that what you're suppose to say to someone you just crashed into?" The boy stood up and brushed dirt off his clothes. "But jeez, why were you even carrying that much stuff?"

"That's, uh, sorta my fault." Hotori scratched her head and laughed embarrassedly. "Oh, I'll clean this up." She pulled Kaori up to her feet and knelt back down to pick up the scattered shopping bags.

"Hey," she nudged Kaori and winked. "Your chance."

"What? Wait- what? Hey!" Kaori gave a little squeal as she was elbowed in the back of her knee.

"Oops! Sorry~"

"Hey, watch out!"

The pavement flashed toward her. She closed her eyes and waited for the impact. But, she felt nothing… Just a nice soft-

"Idiot! Don't stand right in a place where you can get elbowed!" Then came a soft thump on the head.

"Huh?" Kaori opened her eyes to find herself… in Natsume's arms?! "ASDFGHJKL!?"

"Ow!" Natsume let go of the squirming girl. "Violent, are we?"

"Don't you dare lay a hand on me you, you… you molester!" Kaori blushed like crazy and covered her upper body. _What the heck? How did I end up in his arms?_

"What? Who do you think you're calling a molester?" Steaming flew out of Natsume's head as his face also turned cherry red. "I saved you from taking a bite of concrete pavement! You should thank me!"

"What?" Kaori looked around in confusion. "You didn't… just randomly grab me?"

Natsume took a deep breath and crossed his arms. "Like heck I'll do something like that. You were falling so I just caught you. And then you started hitting me and calling me a molester. What kind of thanks is that?"

_Oh yeah, I was falling and I thought that I was going to hit the pavement. But then I felt something soft and…_ "Oh… thanks…"

"You're welcome."

"Hehe~ Did you guys enjoy that little experience~?" Hotori popped up behind Kaori and giggled. "Oh, is that adorable face getting redder?"

"Y-you did that on purpose!" Kaori pretended to strangled her but Hotori slipped out of the death grip and ran away laughing. "Come back here you little devil!" She chased her for a few minutes until they both collapsed on the pavement laughing.

"Having fun?"

"Eek!" Kaori jumped as Natsume appeared behind them. _I totally forgot about this guy!_ "Don't scare me like that!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Princess. I'll accept any punishment you give me." He knelt down and bowed his head.

"Yeah, yeah, I can hear the sarcasm in your voice."

Hotori noticed Megumi giggling behind a tree and made a little wave to her. _Guess Kaori didn't change after all. Must have been my imagination~ She's still so easy to tease~_

"Anyways," Kaori stood up and held a hand out to both Hotori and Natsume. "Why are you here?"

"Who me?" Natsume flashed a tiny smile.

"Who else? I already know why Hotori and Megumi are here."

"Shopping of course. You're not the only one that can shop here you know."

Kaori raised an eyebrow. "You? Shopping?"

"Yeah. What? Is it that surprising for a boy to be shopping for games?" Natsume countered with a raised eyebrow of his own, earning an annoyed glare from her.

"Games? What games?"

"What else? Aero. Everyone in Japan wants this game right now. I'm no exception."

"Oh. Aero." Natsume stared at this girl in front of him. _Why does she suddenly look so sad the second Aero is mentioned? Something feels different about her…_

"Ah!" The two jumped as Hotori suddenly appeared between them. "You're buying that game to?"

"Who isn't? Look at that line." Natsume pointed to the store across from where they are standing.

"Whoa!" Megumi came out from behind the tree. "That's a long line!"

"Tell me about it. Welp, I better get on line before I lose my chance to buy one of the ten thousand copies there. See ya."

"Hey, wait for us! Come on, Kaori!" Hotori turned around and started to pull her after Natsume.

"They're not lining up for the game."

"Huh?" Natsume stopped in his tracks and looked back at Kaori. "They aren't? Then what are they lining up for?"

Without noticing it, Kaori stood up taller and began speaking with the aura of someone who was strategizing a battle plan. "Right now that store is having a sale on all the merchandises in their store, taking advantage of the many customers it'll be attracting due to the release of Aero tonight. But it won't be selling any until tomorrow morning. This store closes at 10 and will probably open at 6 sharp tomorrow morning. Most people would come at around 2 or 3 so I suggest that we come at midnight. We can bring sleeping bags and if possible, one person brings a tent. Knowing the popularity of this game, we should stationalize a watcher to make sure no one skips us in line. At 12, it's 6 hours to midnight and there are three of us to we can split into three two-hour shifts. But it would also be better if we come at 10… Cause that guarantees us one of the first ones just in case something happens later one… Hmm…"

"..."

Three pairs of eyes stared at the girl who was crouched on one leg and drawing invisible lines that only she could see.

"Hmm?" Kaori looked up to see why it had suddenly became quiet. What she saw was a bunch of blank eyes that stared at the ground in front of her. _Huh? Oh, wait… Did I just… Oh shoot O.O They probably think I'm a weirdo now. Why did I have to rant on and on like that? A-anyways, I should try to break the silence._ "Um… uh… I… This is-"

"That was amazing!"

"Huh?" Kaori blinked in surprise. Hotori was gaping at her with eyes that shined with amazement.

"How in the world did you do that?! That was a full scale thoroughly thought-out plan! Since when did you learn that skill? You always just rushed forward without thinking." She crouched down next to Kaori and stared at the invisible plan. "Even I understood everything and all I heard was a bunch of hard vocabulary and what seemed like a lecture."

"Well, I, uh, um, don't… know?" _Urg, stupid me! Why did I just suddenly start strategizing a plan? I need to do something… Oh why did I even bother to open my mouth… QAQ_

"We can just go with your plan~." Oblivious to the panicking girl next to her, Hotori was jumping around in excitement. "So all of us meet here at midnight? We bring our sleeping bags and one of us brings a tent… Who's bringing the tent?"

"I'll bring it." Natsume finally broke out of his stupor and stepped forward. "But I only have a small one that can only fit two people. Oh, and my best friend, Arashi is also coming so that makes it four people. What do we do, Strategizer Kaori?" Everyone turned to the girl turning around in circles.

Kaori flinched at her name. "Who, me?"

"Yes, you." Megumi rolled her eyes at her older sister's fidgety movements. "Unless there's another Kaori around here. In that case, we're only looking at one."

"Uh…" _I guess it won't hurt if I just do a simple planning that anyone can do…_ "We can come earlier at 10? That way it'll be 8 hours until 6 and we can still split it into two-hour shifts. But we'll get less sleep and-"

"That doesn't matter~ As long as we're all able to get the game, it's fine! Then it's settled? A-okay, everyone?"

"Hai~" Megumi waved Mr. Usagi in the air.

"Yeah." Natsume raised his hand a little bit to indicate that he understood.

"Ugh…" Kaori grumbled a little complaint but nodded.

"Then let's all go home and finish all our homework so that we don't have to do them on the weekends~" Hotori started to push Kaori and Megumi toward the way their house was. "See you later this evening, Natsume?"

"Roger."

Natsume watched the two girls be dragged away by Hotori. His eyes fell upon Kaori whose face was still in panic mode. _That girl… There's something she's hiding…_


	5. Chapter Three

_Ahhh~ What a refreshing shower~,_ Kaori rubbed her wet hair with a towel while she walked to her balcony. The stars above shone brightly in the dark night sky. She looked up at them with a face that showed either sadness or happiness but not neither. _Today was a little too close for comfort… First Hotori falls in love with that guy, then I almost revealed my secret._

Kaori sighed and crashed onto her bed. "What a day… Today was so overwhelming…"

"…"

_My secret…,_ Kaori turned her head to look at her closet. A dark outline of a helmet-like device was hidden half-way behind her clothes. _I wonder when it became my secret…_

She got up from her bed and took the helmet from its hiding place into the light, placing it on her lap. She stared at the gray letters on the dark blue surface. Lifting her right hand, she traced the engraved letters with a finger: N-E-R-V-E G-E-A-R.

"Nerve Gear." Kaori smiled a little as she remembered-

"Big sis!"

"Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah." Fumbling with the helmet, Kaori jumped and quickly threw the helmet back into her closet.

"Big sis?" Megumi peeked into the room and stared at her sister. "What's wrong? … What's with that weird body position?"

"N-nothing, nothing at all. I was just… stretching! Yeah, stretching! One, two, three, four…" Kaori pretended to be doing arm and leg stretches.

"Ooooh-kay…" A pair of hazel eyes stared at Kaori in a look she knew really well.

_TT . TT She thinks I'm crazy. She's definitely thinking I'm crazy._

"Mom said dinner's ready so hurry up and come eat."

"Oh, okay. Tell her I'll be down in a second."

Kaori watched her little sister run off to tell their mother the message. Then she turned and peeked through a small crack at the hastily thrown helmet on its sides.

_THAT WAS WAY TOO CLOSE! QAQ_

* * *

Hotori glanced at her watch. "She's so slow!" She continued pacing in front of the house.

"Sorry, Hotori!" Kaori rushed to close the door and tie her shoelaces.

"YOU'RE LATE!"

"Eep!" Kaori flinched as the furious girl stomped over to her and grabbed her arm.

"Any slower and we might as well as be called the World's Slowest Shoppers! It's already 9:55! What were you thinking, keeping me out here waiting for 25 minutes? You said that you only need an extra 10 minutes. How did that 1 and 0 turn into a pair of 2 and 5? Don't you have any idea how popular this game is? If we are even a little teeny weeny bit late, our chance to get one of those ten thousand copies is as good as gone!"

"Um, Hotori?"

"What?"

Kaori tugged the wrist being yanked by Hotori's iron grip. "This is starting to hurt..."

"WERE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?!"

"I was! I swear! So can you pleeease let go of me?"

"Hmph!" Hotori released her grip.

"Don't be mad... We can't possibly miss out if we come this early." Kaori rubbed her bruised wrist.

"Unless other smart people had a sense to come early too."

"Of course there'll be other people who'll come early. Especially be-" Kaori clapped her hands over her mouth.

"Especially what?" Hotori stared at hands clasped over Kaori's mouth. "Hmm?" Is she keeping something from me?

"Beta testers, right?"

"Natsume!" Kaori's eyes widened at the mention of the two words. "How did you- I mean, yeah..."

"Beta testers?" Hotori cocked her head a little to the side. "What's that? Something to test whatever this beta thing is?"

"Not something, someone." Natsume stepped out of the tree's shadow. Leaning on that very same tree, he folded his arms cross his chest and began to explain. "The beta testers were a group of a thousand people who were chosen to, I guess you can say, experiment on the newly finished prototype version of Aero before it was released. The beta testers were, of course, chosen at random from a list of people who volunteered online. But I'm surprised that you knew about them, Ka-"

"WHAT?! Why didn't I ever hear about this beta test thing? I want to volunteer to play a new game before it was released!" Hotori began to flail around and wave her bag randomly. "That's not fair! Why didn't they post something like this on the news?"

"Because too many people would sign up and they'll get a bunch of angry emails from people who didn't get chosen. Probably still did though." Phew! Kaori let out a sigh of relief. Good job, Hotori. Thank you for interrupting Natsume.

"Tch." Did she just tch something so simple and normal?! O.O Kaori struggled to keep an emotionless poker face. That's Satou Hotori for you... At least she stopped swinging her bag around.

"They should have at least posted it on the website..." Hotori grumbled and kicked the ground in front of her.

"They did..." You just didn't look... Plus, it was on the magazine you showed me earlier today too..., Kaori shook her head at her best friend's oblivious nature.

"But still, even though it was posted, still a lot of people didn't get in. And that term is better known around-"

"Oh, who's that behind you?" Kaori pointed at the shadow behind Natsume. Phew! Another close call!

"Hmm? Oh, Arashi! Why were you so quiet? I almost forgot you were there." Natsume moved to allow the other boy to step forward.

"Why should I speak when I have nothing to say?" A boy wearing expensive looking black jeans and a blue baseball cap came forward with his hands in his pockets.

"Um, not to be rude or anything..." Hotori was staring at the boy's shiny black jeans. "But are those the really expensive black jeans that cost like a thousand or so?"

"A thousand?!" Kaori's jaw dropped to the ground. "People actually pay a thousand for a pair of jeans?!"

"Why, of course! Especially if they're made out of rare resources. If you want to criticize someone's fashion sense, you have to do it right. Like for example..." Hotori, being the fashion shopper expertee she was, pointed at the baseball cap.

"Hooo..." Arashi seemed to be really amused. This girl's amusing. "Is there something wrong with my outfit, Miss Fashion Criticizer?"

"Is there something wrong!" She pretended to gasp and faint. "Who in the world wears a baseball cap with black jeans that are meant to be worn-"

"Um, shouldn't we be getting in line?" Kaori pointed at a couple that just got on the back of a line snaking out from the front of this afternoon's store. "Looks like you're hunch was right, Hotori. Lots of people had the same idea as us." Well, of course, it's a simple choice. I just happened go be an idiot and make it sound so complicated.

"Wow, look at the length of the line! It's already longer than the block!" Natsume whistled and stared wide eyed at the distance.

"Ah! Tell me that earlier! We need to get on that line! Hurry!" Hotori pushed the three kids toward the line. "AH! Those college students just got on the line too! Hurry or else we'll lose our spots!"

"Okay, okay!"

"Stop pushing me!"

"I have two perfectly healthy legs that can walk by themselves."

"Haha, very funny, Arashi-kun. By the way, where's your little sister, Kaori?" Hotori looked around for the bunny-addicted girl.

"That's why I was late. I had to listen to her thrown a tantrum cause my mom refused to let her come with us. She found her test crumbled up at the bottom of her backpack."

"At least it looks like I'm not the only one who's getting bad grades~"

"Hotori..." Kaori put her hand on her face and shooked her head. "Your grades are actually decent. If Megumi doesn't start studying for the finals and actually focusing in class instead of her bunnies, she'll fail 8th grade."

"Hullo? Would you ladies care to help two fine gentlemen in setting up the tent instead of chatting about grades?" Natsume was trying to pin one end of the tent to the ground as Arashi struggled to keep the tent's shape.

"Why, of course, we would be delighted to. That is, if you'll treat us to ice cream after everything. Surely you won't force two young ladies such as us to do dirty work? Our skirts will be ruin." Then, as to emphasize the sarcasm, Hotori dusted off imaginary dirt on her skirt.

Kaori giggled as Hotori secretly winked at her. Guess I'll play along~ She sat with one leg over the other on her backpack and pretended to sip tea. "And don't forget to wash your hands afterwards~ We wouldn't want to ruin the tea set, would we?"

A second later, a loud crash followed by a bunch of rustling sounds came from behind them. The girls turned toward the commotion to find the two boys hopelessly tangled up in a collapsed tent.

"..."

Natsume peeked out from the heap of messiness. "Help?"


	6. Chapter Four

**Phoenix**: Sorry for the delay! I kinda dug myself into a deep writer's block when I finished Chapter Three with that last dialogue. This chapter is probably not that good and I may re-edit it when I get a better idea, so now you'll know why it might have a few changes in the near future~ I still tried my best and I hope you can be at least a little satisfied ;w; And as always, feedbacks and comments about the storyline are always welcome~

* * *

"Who wants drinks?" Kaori rummaged inside her backpack for the juice boxes she packed earlier. "I brought iced tea, milk coffee, Coke, water, and orange juice."

"Oh, iced tea for me please!" Hotori glanced behind at the two dark corners of the tent. "I don't know about those two gloomy heads though."

"How would you feel if you spent an hour trying to do a simple task when it took others merely 20 minutes?"

"Ten minutes actually. It is quite a simple task. I don't know how in the world anyone can not know how to set up a tent. Especially you, Natsume the Genius All-Star. Even if it was your first time, it shouldn't have looked that bad. I mean, you guys couldn't even pull the flaps out properly..." Hotori continue listing all the things that the boys did wrong.

Natsume flinched as each insult stabbed at his pride. "Well, excuse us if we-"

"For your information, Miss Show-off, we just so happen to be first timers at setting up tents so it's obvious that we won't get a perfect score-"

"Perfect score? That was no where NEAR a perfect score. More like a failing score."

SNAP!

"Hmm? Did anyone hear something snap?" Hotori looked around for a twig or stick.

_Yeah, I certainly did_, Natsume glanced at Arashi. _The sound of someone's patience cracking. Better stop him before he starts yammering._ "Ok, let's all calm down and-"

"Did you say failing?" A dark shadow began to grow from a small corner. "Are you saying that I'm getting an F for tent set-up? Who made you a teacher? What kind of stupid kid grades other people on how well they set up tents? Don't you have something better to do than criticize a two boys for doing a single simple mistake? There are-"

"Psh," Hotori flipped her hair at the lecture. "A simple mistake? Do you know how important it is to know your survival skills? What if you get stuck in a forest or something and can't find your way home? You're gonna have to camp out in the woods, and how are you going to do that without knowing how to set up a tent?"

The two high schoolers glared at each other. Electricity flashed between their angry eyes. The air was thick with the feeling of calm before a storm.

"Um, can't we just forget about this little dispute and focus on camping out?"

"NO!"

"Okay! Sheesh!" Natsume backed up with his hands up in the air. "No need for both of you to get angry at me..." He left the two bickering and went back to his nice little corner.

"Oui~, why is it so-"

"What did you say?" Hotori grabbed the nearest thing to her, an unopened water bottle. "How dare you treat a lady like this! Take this you big meanie!"

"What's going on in-" A pair of shocked eyes widened as something can flying straight at her face.

Time seemed to slow down. _I have to dodge it_, Kaori began to turn her body away from the object. _NO!_ A separate voice froze her in place. _If you dodge it, it'll be obvious! Natsume is already suspecting you!_ A quick glance at the boy confirmed this. _Ugh… Why did I bother to peek in here?_

Natsume stared at the dazed girl. _What is she doing? She should be able to dodge that._ But he never expected her to do the exact opposite, freezing in place and closing her eyes as if she were flinching. _! What is she- She can't possibly be purposely taking it?! That idiot!_

"Watch out!"

CRASH!

"Oh no! Kaori!" Hotori ran toward the cloud of dust with Arashi in hot pursuit. "Natsume!"

"U-ugh…" Kaori sat up and rubbed her shoulders. "I wonder why it's my back that hurts instead of my head…"

"Eef yiu whut puhlese git aff of meh…"

"Hmm? Did you just hear something?" She glanced down below her and immediately scrambled off Natsume. "Ah! Sorry!"

"It's ok. I'm fine." He dusted dirt off his clothing. "You two hiding behind that backpack."

Hotori and Arashi jumped. "Tch, he found us…"

"What are you guys? Babies? Hotori, don't you know it's dangerous to throw things around like that?"

The girl put on her pouting face, waving her finger at Arashi. "But he was-" _Eeep!_

Hotori closed her mouth as Natsume shot her his deluxe I'm-very-annoyed-right-now face.

"And you, Arashi," Who flinched as his name was called, "You should know better than to treat a girl like that. Even if she is a drama queen, a girl should be treated with every manner and respect of a lady. Got that?"

"Yeah, like you should talk…" Arashi sneaked glances between the boy with his arms crossed and the girl adjusting her back.

"What did you say? I couldn't hear you."

"Nothing…" He turned and walked outside whistling. "I believe it's time for my shift. You guys get some sleep, I'll keep watch."

"To heck with sleep, let's stay awake a bit longer and talk about things~" Hotori flopped onto her sleeping bag and waved her legs in the air.

"Like…?" A flashback of all the tiring things that happened today appeared in Kaori's mind. "I want to go to sleep."

"Awwww, come on~ Just a little longer? Thirty more minutes? Pleeeeeease~"

_It's kind of hard to refuse when you're hugging me so hard…_ "Ok, fine. But only 30 more minutes."

"Well I'm going to sleep." Natsume yawned and pulled up the cover. "You girls go chat about makeup or love or something."

"Speaking of love~~~"

"Ow!" Guess who just got a knuckle sandwich. "What was that for!?"

"For being an idiot." _And reminding Hotori of…_

"MICHIYO-SAMA~~~"

Kaori gave a quick glare to Natsume before burrowing into her sleeping bag. "Well, thanks. Now we won't be able to-"

"Michiyo? Are you talking about that rumored strongest beta tester?" Natsume pulled back the covers and sat up, now interested.

"Who else~? Isn't he soooooooo cool?" Hotori squealed and began blushing. "Oh, Michiyo-sama~~~"

"Since when was this Michiyo player's gender decided…?"

"Since I first read about him in Games Weekly."

"..."

Natsume poked the sleeping bag next to the squealing fangirl. An annoyed groan replied and zipped open the bag. "What?"

"Is she always like this?" He tipped his head a bit toward Hotori.

"Did you just wake me up for that petty little reason?"

"Why, of course. Might as well as wake someone if you can't sleep right?"

Kaori yanked the cover back on her and zipped up the opening.

"Wow, such nice company I have around me… Well, I'm bored. Good night, Hotori. Good night, Kaori." He flopped back into his warm cocoon.

"Michiyo-sama~~~"

"You should go get some sleep too."

Hotori jumped at the sudden noise. "Oh, it's just you Arashi."

"If you don't sleep now, you won't be able to stand on your feet when it's time to jump around after we get the games." A murderous glare made him back a little out of the tent.

"Excuse me, sir, I'm not someone who jumps around like a crazy fangirl." _I don't need Mr. Jerkface to order me around all he wants. I go to sleep whenever I want._ But she obeyed anyways, laying back onto her bag.

"Now then… you two sneaking around behind me." Arashi pulled his head back out of the tent and glanced at the shadows next to him.

"W-what?" A couple stopped in their tracks and looked around nervously. "We weren't trying to- We were just-"

"Trying to skip in line?" His eye pupils flashed with a violent glare. "That's not very nice."

"W-WE'RE SORRY!" The two fled for their lives, leaving dust in their wake.

Arashi folded his arms and adjusted himself to a comfortable position. "Well, then. Tonight'll be an amusing night."

_Michiyo… huh? Feels like forever since I last heard that name… Brings back memories..._


End file.
